Blog Entry

iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — An American female tennis player made history at the U.S. Open — and it was not Serena or Venus Williams.

Catherine Bellis, a 15-year-old wild card in the tournament, became the youngest American woman to win a U.S. Open match on Tuesday in 28 years when she defeated the tournament’s 12th seed, Dominika Cibulkova, in the first round.

“It’s crazy to think that I’m actually here right now with all these other people,” Bellis, of Atherton, Calif., told reporters after her 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, win at the U.S.T.A. Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

“I’m still in shock after the match,” she said.

Bellis, who goes by the nickname Cici, was playing in just her 13th professional tennis match Tuesday against Cibulkova, the 13th ranked player in the world and runner-up at this year’s Australian Open.